We are delighted to announce that at Provide Wellbeing we are now able to offer Autism Assessments to children via Right to Choose and that the current average wait time for assessment is within 3 to 4 months of us receiving a referral from your GP.
As we know, demand for this service will likely be high, so we will regularly update the average wait times on this page so you know how quickly you can access the service. Please review our self-pay offer should you wish to access an autism assessment more quickly.
Across the UK, NHS waiting times have continued to increase for patients seeking assessments and treatment. We are pleased to offer autism assessments via Right to Choose, making it easier for families who would like more timely assessments of autism.
Under Right to Choose (RTC), you can choose which organisation (qualified provider) provides the autism assessment for your child. As Provide Wellbeing holds NHS contracts to offer autism assessments for children with a number of Integrated Care Boards (ICB's) in England, we meet the criteria for being a Qualified Provider under the NHS Right to Choose.
Providing your GP believes a referral is appropriate and will make a referral to us, we can provide the autism assessment at no cost to you, as the NHS will pay for it. Find out more about RTC via the NHS website.
'We are delighted to offer Right to Choose Autism Assessments for any children up to the age of 18. Recently, we have seen families travelling from as far away as Cornwall for face-to-face assessments. Feedback shows they thoroughly enjoyed the stress-free experience at Provide Wellbeing, which we are delighted to hear because this is one of the things that we pride ourselves on delivering.'
Paul Cooke, Managing Director
At Provide Wellbeing, we offer RTC ASD assessments for patients up to the age of 18 years old.
Regardless of where you live, anyone whose child already receives mental health care for this condition will not be eligible for our RTC assessment services.
If you would like to find out whether your child will be eligible for an autism assessment under Right to Choose, please get in touch with a member of the team.
In order to access our RTC service, you will need to complete the following steps. Our Patient Care Advisors are here to guide you through the process and are the first point of contact when you make your initial enquiry.
Parent(s)/guardian(s) should call one of our Patient Care Advisors to discuss your child's eligibility for a referral to the service. If eligible, we will register your child and send you some questionnaires that need to be completed by you, your child's school if applicable and your child, depending on their age. The questionnaires are designed to obtain more information about the child or young person's social communication and ask questions about friendships, emotions, daily routines and special interests.
Please note, while we encourage you to provide supporting reports or triage documents received from previous organisations, we do require completion of our own questionnaires in order to ensure we have the most recent and relevant information. This will ensure we can provide the most appropriate care for your child/young person. Once completed, you will need to email the completed questionnaires to provide.wellbeing@nhs.net.
Once received, our experienced clinicians will review the completed questionnaires to determine if your child is eligible for a referral for an autism assessment. Our Patient Care Advisors will then communicate the outcome of the clinical triage with you. If your child is suitable for a referral for an autism assessment, that will need to be made by your GP.
Once your child has been deemed eligible for a referral for an autism assessment, you should make an appointment with/speak to your GP to ask them to make a referral for an autism assessment for your child under Right to Choose. We have a standard letter you can take to your GP explaining how you are seeking a referral under Right to Choose.
Your GP must make a referral using the standard referral template letter, which our Patient Care Advisors will provide you. You can email this to your GP Practice or provide them with a paper copy.
Once we have received the referral from your GP, one of our Patient Care Advisors will notify you via email that your child is on the waiting list and advise on the typical wait time.
When your child is at the top of the waiting list, one of our Patient Care Advisors will contact you to arrange the date and time of their assessment.
Our Patient Care Advisors support you before the assessment to ensure it's as stress-free as possible for you and your child. We will advise you on the outcome of the assessment that same day.
We will issue a report on the outcome of your child's assessment within six weeks of the assessment date.
'We were treated with respect and care throughout and they really looked after my daughter, putting her at ease as much as they could. They addressed all of our questions and concerns and explained everything before, during and after. I would highly recommend this team.'
ASD Patient, Chelmsford
We are very keen to ensure we manage your expectations. As such, we will publish wait times for RTC services on our website regularly. Please contact our team for more information about the service offering and the pathways available.
